Combination shipping box and feeder



Sept. 24-, 1'9. R A, GQRSUCH 2,@fi5,3 el@ COMBINATION SHIPPING BOX AND FEEDER Filed Odt. 15, 1931 Patented Sept. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES COMBINATION SHIPPING ox AND FEEDER Robert A. Gorsuch, Gambier, Ohio, assignor to The Gongor Mfg. Company, Gambier, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application October 15, 1931, Serial No. 568,976

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a shipping box for baby chicks which may be used also as a feeder. In boxes of this general character it is necessary to provide for ventilation during shipment and 5 also to provide for feeding the baby chicks after arrival at their destination. Large numbers of chicks are shipped in the same box and it is not practical to place the food therein and it is desirable to provide openings in the wall of the box of a sufficient size to admit the heads of chicks so that they may feed from food receptacles disposed outside of the box. In the provision of feeding openings, some means must be provided to prevent the heads of the chicks being inserted therethrough during shipment, thus resulting in loss of or injury to the chicks.

Therefore, one of the main objects of the invention is to provide a combined shipping box and feeder which will meet the above requirements and which may be manufactured at a low cost and which will aiford maximum safety against injury to the chicks during shipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined shipping box and feeder for baby chicks which can be made of paper or other similar material which will reduce to a minimum the possibility of injury to the chicks during shipment and which at the same time may be used as a feeder for the chicks upon arrival at their destination. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination shipping box and feeder for chicks which is provided in one or more of the side walls thereof with an outlined portion which may be cut or severed to form a flap which is adapted to be moved outwardly a slight distance to form an opening through which the chicks may have access to feed placed outside of the box.

Further and more limited objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds and by reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved combination shipping box and feeder; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, Fig. 1 discloses my combined shipping box and feeder which is preferably made of corrugated paper board or the like and which is preferably rectangular in shape and composed of a bottom I and side walls 2, 3, 4 and 5. The bottom and side walls of the box are preferably formed of a single piece of material which is folded up at the corners, as disclosed in Fig. 1, and fastened together by means of suitable staples 6. Each of the side walls. is preferably scored or outlined to form a somewhat U-shaped portion 1, the bight of the U being adjacent the bottom of the side wall and extending practically the full length thereof. This 5 portion, when completely out or severed, is adapted to be bent outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3 to provide a large feed opening along each side of the box through which the chicks may have access to feed placed outside of the 10 box and adjacent the opening. Eachof the portions '1 is also provided with a plurality of ventilating openings 8. The overlapping portions at the corners of the box are scored along the edges thereof, as indicated by the dotted lines 9 and Ii] 15 in Figs. 1 and 2. These partially severed or scored portions define strips or blocks II which may be readily broken off and inserted in the feed openings to hold the flap in the position shown in Fig. 3. When the chicks arrive at their 20 destination, it is usually necessary to give them feed. In order to render the box suitable for feeding, it is merely necessary to completely sever these fiapportions 1, as indicated by the dash lines in Figs. 1 and 2 and then to push the flap outwardly and secure it in this position by means of the strips or blocks H which are inserted therein, as shown in Fig. 3. The chicks may then have access to feed placed adjacent the openings and outside of the box. The strips or 30 blocks l I are .of such size that the flap is moved outwardly only a sufficient distance to permit the head of a chick to be inserted therethrough and yet prevent the escape of the chicks.

The box is closed by a cover or top l2 which 35 is secured thereto in any suitable manner.

According to the preferred embodiment of my invention the portions of the box forming the flaps are outlined by scoring the box as indicated by the dash lines in Figs. 1 and 2. How- 10 ever, this portion of the box may be cut, stamped or scored in any suitable manner; or it may be found to be desirable to merely print or mark the outline of the portion which is to fbrm the flap. It is therefore to be understood that the -15 expression score line as used in the specification and claims is used to define any portion which is outlined in any manner to define the portion which is tobe moved outwardly to form the feed opening. As printed outlines instead 50 of cut lines may be desirable in some cases, the drawing of this application may be considered to indicate either a cut or printed outline and the term outline is to be understood as including printed, scored or cut outlines and the 55 word outline is to be understood as including either a completely formed outline or one which is sufficiently near complete as to suggest the fully complete form in an unmistakable manner.

It will now be clear that I have provided a combination shipping box and feeder of the character described which will accomplish the objects of the invention as hereinbefore stated. Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention. It is therefore to be understood that the embodiment of the invention herein disclosed is merely illustrative and is not to be considered in a limiting sense as the invention is limited only in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A chick box having an upwardly open, U- shaped score line in a side wall thereof, said box being provided in some region thereof with one or more partially cut portions which may be conveniently removed and employed for holding the material defined by said first mentioned area when the same is pushed out of its normal position to form a feeding opening.

2. A chick box having an upwardly open, U- shaped score line in a side wall thereof, the bight of the U being adjacent the bottom of said side wall, said box being provided in some region thereof with one or more partially cut portions which may be conveniently removed and employed for holding the material defined by said first mentioned area when the same is pushed out of its normal position to form a feeding opening.

3. A chick box having a large area of one of the side Walls incompletely outlined by a score line, the incomplete portion of the outline being at the top, the lowermost boundary thereof being close enough to the bottom of said side wall to permit a chick standing on the bottom of the box .to feed over the edge when the portion of the side Wall defined by said score line is removed to a sufiicient extent to allow such feeding, said box being provided in some region thereof with one or more partially out portions which may be conveniently removed and employed for holding the material defined by said first mentioned area when the same is pushed out of its normal position to form a feeding opening.

ROBERT A. GORSUCH. 

